September 9, 2013

Melissa Clark

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

What’s for Dinner? answers that universal question, offering recipes for simple, relatively quick dishes that use ingredients you can pick up on the way home.

Spicy sautéed chard with chiles and ginger is one of my most beloved sides dishes – full of flavor, easy and pleasing with pretty much any protein you’ve got alongside. Here I’ve moved it to the center of the plate by tossing in plump, seared shrimp.

Essentially, it’s a stir-fry. I brown the shrimp to add their caramelized flavor to the bottom of the pan, then remove them from the pan so they don’t overcook. Their golden drippings, also known as the fond, get soaked up by the aromatics sautéed next -- the garlic, chiles, and ginger -- and then are thoroughly soaked up by the soft chard leaves as they melt into the sauce.

You can use any kind of chard for this dish, but rainbow or red will be prettier than white-stemmed Swiss chard. That’s because those stems go right into the pan along with the leaves. It’s not only less wasteful, the stems also add a pronounced, succulent texture to the mix.

After you add the shrimp back to the pan, give them a quick turn to mix them with the greens (they have cooked from the initial searing), then serve them up immediately.

Or leave the shrimp out and serve the chard as a side dish with whatever your dinner may be. It’s a recipe you’ll turn to in all sorts of guises.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, then add shrimp and sear until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet, let heat for a few seconds, then add garlic, chile peppers, shallot and ginger and sauté until slightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in sugar, pepper and salt and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in chard stems and sauté until they start to soften, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the greens to the skillet along with 2 tablespoons water and immediately cover the pan. Keep it covered for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the greens to wilt. Once the greens have cooked down, remove the lid and continue cooking for a few more minutes to allow the water to evaporate. Add the shrimp and any liquid accumulated on the plate and cook just until the shrimp are heated through, about 1 minute longer. Drizzle with the sherry vinegar and gently toss to coat. Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro.